Carvers Gap

I have to think the northern Plateau, SE KY, SW VA, and 1500'+ in NE TN....gonna have a decent little event from this. The cloud cover today has prevented warmer temps from rolling in..

What I see from the 12z GEPS and EPS is very cold air in Canada that keeps pinwheeling into the US old school style. And that setup is a very stable pattern unlike other cold patterns we have seen. JB noted that wave lengths tend to shorten up during phase 8 and wx models will often struggle with details and strength of cold shots. If we kind of assumed this pattern began just after Thanksgiving, it makes sense for it to last to Christmas or just after, then Jan is likely warm, followed by another cold shot. This set-up reminds me a lot of 95-96 in terms of the overall sequence(maybe not the snow). Last winter did as we'll.

The Euro, after stumbling and bumbling for 4-5 days(losing the pattern), has a reasonable transition of the MJO. I think it just keeps rotating around. The GFS/AmericanModeling has tried to loop it around and been wrong with that on multiple occasions. Does it stall? It may. To me, this looks like it will transit cold phases, go COD 3-5, exit into a strong 6, and come right back around. The GEPS and EPS looks decent in the long range. The GEFS keeps pushing back the flip. I do think we see a ridge(maybe???).

Just zooming out a bit from this event...there are a lot of potential small events in the pipeline. The 12z CMC is my "go to" at 12z. Though the 12z GFS is pretty loaded up with opportunities.

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Morristown TN 1214 PM EST Thu Dec 4 2025 TNZ012>017-035-036-045>047-050500- /O.NEW.KMRX.WW.Y.0011.251205T0000Z-251205T1200Z/ Scott TN-Campbell-Claiborne-Hancock-Hawkins-Sullivan-Morgan- Anderson-Unicoi-Northwest Carter-Southeast Carter- Including the cities of Howard Quarter, Clinton, Smokey Junction, Sandlick, Norma, Slick Rock, Sneedville, Caryville, Mooresburg, Oak Ridge, Big South Fork National, Oneida, Kyles Ford, Bristol TN, Clairfield, Huntsville, Royal Blue, Springdale, Erwin, White Oak, Evanston, Treadway, Arthur, Kingsport, Limestone Cove, Lone Mountain, Elizabethton, High Point, Petros, Harrogate-Shawanee, Jellico, South Holston Dam, La Follette, Unicoi, Elk Valley, Fincastle, Pine Orchard, Elgin, and Hampton 1214 PM EST Thu Dec 4 2025 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 AM EST FRIDAY... * WHAT...Mixed wintry precipitation expected. Total snow accumulations of up to one inch, along with a light glaze of ice. * WHERE...The northern Cumberland plateau and portions of the northern Tennessee valley near the Virginia border. * WHEN...From 7 PM this evening to 7 AM EST Friday. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Thursday evening and Friday morning commutes.

Once this stuff starts falling, we need a brave soul to post a thread or the "storm." It ain't gonna be me. LOL. The EB looms....

Temps in Kingsport range from 35-39F. It is a lot colder than I expected it to be.

It isn't warm out there. The current HRRR has 1-2" over TRI w/ snow still falling at the end of the run. Both the 12z GFS and Euro have light amounts as well w/ the GFS having more. The NAM is pretty meh over TRI. ***Winter Weather Advisories are posted for northern areas. MRX has seen the 12z suite.***

FWIW, that axis looks about right w/ TRI maybe being a sloppy mess.

With the axis of this narrow strip of snow, small upstream changes create HUGE downstream changes. Think of it like this. When a hurricane is approaching the coast at an angle, any upstream change drastically changes the landfall location. This snow axis fluctuates with almost every run. The current 12z GFS is a good lollipop for TRI. The 14z HRRR is north of its past run and TRI is blank. I think time of day is going to be huge. I think likely that some in the forum area will see a stripe of frozen precip along the northwest boundary of this. Where? Your guess is as good as mine. But a line from Nashville to Abingdon, VA, seems about right. Anyone 30 miles to the south of that and 150 miles north of that is fair game.

Yeah, I don't trust any model at this point. Glad I don't have to put out a product tonight to the public! This is one of those which could bust either way.

Jax, looks like basically a reload. Lots of conflicting signals there. Great share.

This pretty much sums it up...models are all still all over the place. National Weather Service Morristown TN 606 AM EST Thu Dec 4 2025 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 601 AM EST Thu Dec 4 2025 Dry weather today before increasing precipitation chances tonight into Friday. - Probabilities for minor impacts from ice and snow are trending upwards across the northern Cumberland plateau, southwest VA and extreme northeast TN for tonight into Friday morning - Very low probability of rainfall this weekend. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 1240 AM EST Thu Dec 4 2025 Dry today with continued below normal temperatures. Increasing precipitation chances tonight into Friday morning. The good news is that the latest HREF probs mostly align with the previous forecast. The bad news, the last two runs of the HRRR are well above the HREF means in terms of snowfall amounts. This makes for a low confidence forecast. Latest HREF guidance shows probs for at least 0.5 inches across southwest VA are in the 30 to 50% range. Probs for at least 0.5 inches for extreme northeast TN are generally from 50 to 70%. There are also low probs, 10 to 20%, of at least 0.5 inches across the northern Cumberland Plateau and areas along and near the TN/KY state line. Upping the prob amounts to 1 inch yield much lower values, around 30%, but for very isolated locations for both southwest VA and extreme northeast TN. The LREF members shows slightly higher prob values, and with more spatial coverage, for the 0.5 and 1 inch prob values. LREF shows moderate probs of 1 to 2 inches across southwest VA and into extreme northeast TN. The REFS output aligns fairly well with the LREF ensemble probs. Then we have the HRRR. The latest two runs of the HRRR show even higher values than what the REFS and LREF ensembles means suggests. The HRRR wants to paint a solid 2 inches in across the northern Plateau, and 3 to 4 inches in across southwest VA and extreme northeast TN. Because of all this, uncertainty in snowfall amounts is high. These higher end amounts would result in travel impacts while the lower HREF amounts suggest little to no impacts. With this forecast package, have trended snowfall amounts slightly upward, above NBM, based on latest model data and trends. In addition to the snow, NBM also painting in some light icing across these same areas. Please stay tuned to the forecast as the snowfall forecast will likely continue to change given the current variability. Please plan ahead for potential impacts with this system. Areas from Knoxville and south should remain all rain through the event. The bulk of the precip will have ended by Friday afternoon, but a few light showers may linger into the evening hours. NBM still wants to hold on to some slight chance POPs for Saturday and Sunday but it seems warranted so will leave them in the forecast. Rain chances continue into next week as an active pattern will be in place across the country. As of now, Tuesday look like it should be dry though and is most likely to be the nicest day of the forecast period.

The 18z Euro has a light upslope clipper around the 8th....need to keep an eye on that one.

Some nice trends on both the NAM and RGEM if you like frozen. To me, this also bodes well for future systems. It looks like modeling under-did the NW shield of the precip. So this super dry sliders which follow tomorrow night...might have a bit more juice. Good luck on overnight modeling to everyone. I hope someone gets an early season snow!

Let’s see what MRX notes with their next update in regards to soundings.

HRRR looks like it is has some downslope over the eastern valley. Looks very similar to its 18z run.

What is crazy is that the Euro Weeklies had this timeframe as a bullseye before they infamously had an infinite loop of feedback over the Southwest...and pumped crazy temps into the East. Now, we are tracking a potentially light winter wx event for northern areas of the forum. I wouldn't be surprised for glaze to show up further south.

MRX noted in their disco that soundings indicate all snow in NE TN but light. Again, time of day is important. If this comes in at night, could be frozen for many areas.

Looks like a little lee side slp???

It would not at all surprise me to see this trend SE or NW. LOL. The cold could push more than expected...we have seen that trend on a lot of models at 18z. OTH, we have all seen systems jog northwest at the last minute. I need to look at the 500 vort map. The RAP is a good model. To some extent, we see that same setup on other models...just not as juicy. Plenty to track beyond this event as well. In the valleys, we are trying to get a head start on climatology.

This kind of shows the idea. The 3k name is decidedly SE of 12K. The 18z ICON is north. I am using the two models which serve me decently well at short range. They are just about where I can rely on them decently well The 18z RGEM is running now. Similar to 12z. It has more ZR. See MRX comments above.

The 18z HRRR has decent returns over @John1122's and @Shocker0's places. Mix ove TRI. Snow over SW VA and SE KY. If that stays the same, I would expect MRX and JKL hoist winter wx products tomorrow evening at the very lates...maybe tomorrow morning once the actual axis of precip is determined.

National Weather Service Morristown TN 117 PM EST Wed Dec 3 2025 ...New DISCUSSION... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 115 PM EST Wed Dec 3 2025 - Dry weather today and Thursday before increasing precipitation chances Thursday evening into Friday. - Moderate chances for light snowfall across extreme northeast TN and southwest Virginia early Friday morning. Minor impacts are possible. Elsewhere, will get rain Thursday night into Friday. - Very low probability of rainfall this weekend. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 115 PM EST Wed Dec 3 2025 In the upper levels, nearly zonal flow or slight troughing will be over the region through the weekend as a big, broad trough dominates the Central and Eastern U.S. At the surface, high pressure will be over the region through Thursday. Thursday night into Friday, a Gulf Low moving eastward along the Gulf Coast will bring overrunning moisture into the region. Rain is expected for most of the region Thursday night into Friday. Temperature profiles support light snow Thursday night into Friday morning for Southwest Virginia and extreme Northeast Tennessee. Freezing rain probabilities are low in SW Virginia and extreme NE Tennessee and model soundings show a deep enough cold layer to support snow. By mid Friday morning temps will warm enough for a changeover back to rain. The lower elevations may get up to half an inch accumulation and the higher elevations may get up to an inch of accumulation. Minor travel impacts will be possible during the morning commute Friday but will be confined to SW Virginia and extreme NE Tennessee. The Tri-Cities area may see a few flakes but little to no accumulation is expected there. HREF guidance through 12Z Friday have snow totals below one inch. The Tennessee Valley won`t see any frozen precip with this system. HREF guidance doesn`t cover this whole event yet so hopefully the next forecast cycle will bring more confidence. Rain chances will be very low for the weekend and into early next week. One or more shortwaves may move through the pattern but moisture will be limited. Rain or possibly even a brief snow will be possible at some point but there is too much uncertainty to nail down specifics at this time. Widespread travel impacts are unlikely this weekend.

The 3k/12k NAM at 18z look decent for NE TN and SW VA. The 18z RGEM has not run for whatever reason.